A fishing license is required when fishing on Toledo Bend Reservoir. Since the lake is bounded by both Texas and Louisiana, a fishing license from either state is valid for residents of either state fishing on any part of the lake (not from the shoreline!). For visitors who will want a temporary license, where you are staying (Louisiana side or Texas side) is not particularly relevant so long as you will be fishing on the lake and not from the shoreline. Therefore, generally, you may be staying in Louisiana and could fish with either a Louisiana or Texas temporary license – or vice-versa.

According to officials from SRA-Texas, fishing in the river below the dam or spillway is OK with either a Texas or Louisiana license as is fishing from the bank… On the other hand, we have heard lots of stories… Caution is advised. Regardless where you are fishing, you should know any specifics about size and bag limits where you are staying and/or docking your boat… the same sort of technicalities can apply depending on where you are fishing on the lake. But, hey… as long as you’re keeping only decent sized fish, you have nothing to worry about, right!

Since fishing regulations and license fees change from time to time, please check the following links for the most current official information for: